PARA ATHLETES

Towards the end of August the Paralympic Games of 2012 will start in London . Para Athletes from all parts of the world will be there celebrating their success at being nominated to participate for their country . For these people their success has come at a price . A price the " armchair critic " is neither aware of , nor doubtlessly would be prepared to pay !

 Aussie athletes at the 2012 Olympics have taken more than a fair share of " knocking " from these windbags , that doubtlessly never were any good when they played at being athletes . So many of the Aussie contingent would not be there , had they not raided their savings and begged and borrowed from family and friends . Can you imagine any reason , why , when they have put their life on hold for multiple years , for the honour of representing their country , that they would fail to deliver of their best ? Athletes go into competition knowing that they have to give of their best . Every person has good and bad days and so it is also with Sport .

Australia has fielded well prepared teams in the past and enjoyed great success . Other countries envying this success , have chosen to attract Aussie Coaching staff to work for their athletes . Team GB has dramatically improved in recent years in Swimming and Cycling . Part of the reason is that their coaching staff contains Australian Coaches who made certain their charges succeeded in competition . Currently the French are having a swipe at Team GB 's success and when things calm down they will seek out and employ some of the current Aussie coaches to help them as they prepare for Rio 2016 !

One Gold Medal was all that Australia had won for too long and then several more arrived on the same day but not from sports which Oz was previously dominant . Having met many of the Cyclists and Rowers and seen their training facilities i am confident that they gave of their best . Losing more coaches to other countries is almost inevitable unless the Oz Government decides to pay the market rate rather than relying on " Loyalty to Country "! Athletes after they finish competition generally will have piled up debts and will thus have to look hard at their options . So many of them will have a family to support and no doubt a mortgage to deal with so they will be forced to make the hard decisions needed to live at a reasonable level of comfort for themselves and their family .

Sunday will be the closing ceremonies and by then there will be a Gold Tally which will have fallen short of  the " Expectations "! Most People do not understand that the " Olympics " are about competing , the Athletes are there to compete , Medals are the " Icing on the Cake " ! Unfairly , we all , are nationalistic and want our countries to shine on the World Stage . Had Cathy Freeman not won Gold at Sydney 2000 Olympics for any of many reasons , the media would have hounded her , blaming her for failing them ! It could have been an " Off Day " or an injury , an American ran last night in a relay with a " Broken Leg ", but the media and " armchair critics " could care less . Had Usain Bolt broken down on the 200m and failed to win , the same would be said of him , no doubt .

Athletes aspire to be the " BEST THAT THEY CAN BE " but do not participate , ONLY if guaranteed a medal .

In a few days PARALYMPIAN ATHLETES will start arriving in London for the 2012 Para Games , i hope they enjoy the experience and continue to perform as they did in training in their home countries . I would hope that they do not suffer the same difficulties that some of the Olympians suffered . Simon Whitfield as an example , came to London knowing that he may not medal . For him carrying the Canadian Flag was the highlight of his Games , since he crashed badly at the start of the Cycling section of the Triathlon . Some other Athletes suffered injury also , Manteo Mitchell of the USA 400m relay team , felt his leg go as he ran his section of the heat but continued through the pain to complete and thus ensure the team went onto the finals !

Paralympians are not as " High Profile " as their counterparts but invest just as much , if not more , in their training . There is a difference though , since , rarely they have sponsors , to cover their expenses  , so it is their family and friends that have allowed them to represent their countries !

ARMCHAIR CRITICS , beware ,  these people come in the expectation of enjoying competition NOT TO WIN the medals ! Your " yardstick " is redundant !

Australia and GB have fought for many years to be the Top Nation on the medals chart . This time , forget it , the Athletes will be there for themselves and if Medals come , so be it !

TO ALL PARALYMPIANS ! Enjoy yourselves and bring pride to your country by being the " BEST OF SPORTS " , never mind the results !

SAVE HERNE HILL VELODROME

This important British Cycling Facility has been ignored for too long ! Will some of you out there make an effort to preserve your history ? Brad W. claims this as the starting point of his cycling career and yet i have no idea of whether he wishes to see it preserved. 2012 is just around the corner and yet it was unusable on a saturday in Sept.2010 when i was there. The meeting scheduled was cancelled because of overnight rain . 2010 and nothing is being done to encourage a new generation of Brits to compete against the Aussies, of course you are happy to win the odd cricket test, is that all that counts?




Southwark Council has decided to allocate £2m to projects related to the 2012 Olympics and to this end are using the services of Tony Doyle MBE a former World Track Champion as well as Tessa Jowell MP.

Over several years i have had occasion to visit Herne Hill Velodrome and see how run down it has become. 2012 is just around the corner and this important and historic facility is subject to inclement weather currently but can it be left like this when there is the likelhood that prior to the OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC events Athletes from all over the world will need to train/warm up for their events. Do you imagine that they will be pleased to arrive and find it closed due to the track being wet from overnight rain ?







Currently there seems to be some problem about ownership or that is the reason i have heard for the lack of effort to put this Historic site back in order, i know of people like Wally Happy who run events there to try and raise monies and i am sure there are funds coming from other resources BUT uncertainty and indecision will not get the job done.







September time was the last occasion i was there and that days meeting was cancelled because of a wet track, Cyclocross continued throughout the day but can you imagine what would happen if World class/Olympic Athletes were relying on using the existing facilities.

Southwark Councils initiative is subject to "Final Approval" next year, "BOLLOCKS" !

GET ON WITH THE JOB NOW !!!

PS Suggested to Lance Armstrong (by tweet, a great mate of Tony Doyle) that he together with Nike, Radio Shack, Trek & Livestrong could get together the funds needed to renoate this Historic site.
Perhaps there may even be enough to allow cover so that the track is dry all year around ?

OLYMPIC SUMMARY

Bad news day, after several hours out on the bike in two sessions of several hours I find that some sponsorship is not going to happen for the 2010 Project. There are 380 profile visits on the Blog which is only part of the picture as once someone first visits they do not need to check the profile again particularly as they “Bookmark” the site. Sponsors do not look at this but the number of “friends” does get to figure in their equation. Started to pay more attention to “face book” as a source of contact and although I messaged over a hundred people this past week the link to the blog , last week only seven visited through face book . What I had hoped was that with the Paralympic Games due to start next week many more would have visited to checkout the link to the TV coverage amongst other matters.


No doubt people are busy but I can only draw a parallel to twitter where I put an item in “we follow” and got ten new followers immediately, all were from “spivs” looking to build their numbers as they offered to make me rich! Once I posted a comment on this aspect most disappeared within hours. Would like to think that those who “request friend” with me on Facebook are looking to help support “Disabled Sport” as that has been the mission the past twelve years and I am not looking for numbers but supporters who will commit some help to the primary purpose! This past week there has been visitors from 24 countries including Tanzania, India and Ukraine from Google as a link. Amazes me how small the world can become.



New candidate for the “PYGMY Team” found today as I rode up the Gerlos Pass this morning , hit this Link for "Item 2"if you want the Whole story. Photo represents the vehicle colours not the vehicle. Overcast day started with spring like weather so I was out on the bike after 9am enjoying a respite from the winter chill suffered in previous days. After the climb towards Gerlos I went to Mayrhofen and then onto the climb to Finkenberg that I did a little slower yesterday. Climbing at the moment requires a higher cadence to get the same time results that I had last year, no doubt as my strength and confidence returns I will ride in 5th instead of 7th cassette gear when making these climbs. After lunch I was out in sunshine to the north of the valley and going north was wind in the face and the return was easier in the sun albeit with a steady incline.

The Olympics are over and so the “Witch Hunt” starts , local papers are full of the letdown that is being expressed due to the results which is as a result of a lack of Men’s Alpine Ski Medals , a situation that has not occurred since the start of the Winter Olympics Events. Torino 2006 produced 14 medals out of the 30 available! Was that result enough at the time, can’t recall too much in the media about that subject! What is apparent is that the Ladies brought home a Gold and some Silver and Bronze Medals which had it been Australia would have meant there being a ticker tape parade. I did note the disappointment on an Austrian face shown on Eurosport when he realised that he had missed the Bronze. At Torino he had taken home a Gold amongst the collection. Benny has taken responsibility for his results unlike some who are trying to blame the support staff.

Russia has also started a “witch hunt” as they also suffered a drop in prestige in the medal count and they are the next hosts. All I can offer is that as they refocus they will be assured a better result next time as they will have “Home Town Advantage” even if they do not produce some new talent in the intervening years. As I listened to a report about the Russian President’s remarks I had visions of Putin leading the team from the front by participating in the Karate Events. Canada is also in this boat as whilst every other sport enjoyed success the Alpine Team as a whole misfired and not a medal fell into their hands despite their best efforts. The “Canadian Cowboys” were no match for the “Crazy Canucks” of yesteryear.

In an earlier posting I quoted “It’s not whether you win or lose but HOW you play the Game”, well the Athletes entertained us as they excelled and I did not see any bad sportsmanship although I am sure the TV channels were on the lookout for examples!

THANKYOU TO ALL THE ATHLETES FOR YOUR GREAT EFFORTS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FURTHER SUCCESSES AT OTHER VENUES !!

POSITIVE ACTION

Everybody knows someone with a Disability of one sort or another be it physical or mental and in many cases admire their pluck in trying to get on with their lives in the same way as you or I, and rarely will they let us offer assistance if they know they can deal with it themselves. Many are the occasions that someone will have to point out the matter before you or I are aware


Over the years at Cycle Tour Events I have come across “Hand Bike Users” and other types of Disabled Cyclists, occasionally I will spot them or others have pointed me out and then they have come to me to talk of their cycling ambitions. Whenever the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia comes up it is always with a sense of longing because they always express the ambition and desire but point out the lack of support in the way of assistance and facilities.

When preparing for the first Tour de France that I rode I met a Cycle Paralympian who wanted to travel with me. Regrettably he had no supporters to travel with him and he later travelled to Paris where he remarked to his companions that he knew me as I rode through the “Caravan” on the Champs Elysee near the Arc de Triomphe on the final Sunday carrying the Aussie and French Flags. Since then I have been unable to get a repeat invitation as on that occasion I was also uninvited but the story got worldwide publicity since I had done some stories during that Tour of 1998 with French TV3 channel amongst others.

March 12 the Paralympic Winter Games start in Vancouver and NOW is the time to check your TV guides to see what they are offering to assist you to get the latest news of your countries efforts. It is amazing to hear that the BBC is NOT showing live events. Apparently some weeks ago there was a report that they will do some summaries and a roundup before the closing Ceremony. USA TV channels have for many years chosen to not broadcast live. Paralympic TV will broadcast on the internet and the best way to see what is available is to go to your National Paralympic Committee Site. Whilst there look at which athletes and what sports your country is going to compete with at the Games. Looking at the Athlete Profiles you may even find a neighbour or resident from your area who is competing.

Internet access has changed the way people think and like others I sent messages via Twitter to Competitors using that resource. My request to them was that they help Publicise the Paralympic Games since they would be interacting with the Media who are always looking for stories aside from the competition. You too could select some Para Athletes to interact with and send them good wishes of support. They will enjoy knowing their years of sacrifice are being recognised and it could be that you help inspire them to find the extra effort to bring home a medal. Nobody that I know would ignore the opportunity to claim recognition for setting an athlete on a course which results in their reaching the podium in an international venue so in contacting the “NPC” look at what options there are there to help in your own way to set an athlete on course to the London 2012 Paralympics.


At Solden Opening World Cup Ski weekend one year I came across Darren Rahlves who had failed to qualify for the second run in the Reisen Slalom, he was heading down the hill to the hotel. Earlier I had been talking to the Japanese Para Ski Team and mentioned this , he asked where they were and I took him over expecting him to stay a few moments. When I left ½ hr later he was still settled in talking to them. Many athletes behave in this way , I know that Lindsey Vonn passed an amount of money to a Paralympian that she received as part of an Award in 2008. There are countless Cycle Racers that pass on their equipment to help, so much of this goes on unremarked as they do not wish to grandstand, but I take the view they are setting an example that others should follow!



Last week I sent an email to Auspara.com offering a “Cycle Cap” that I had got autographed at Bormio World Cup Ski Finals in 2008. There were 37 autographs on it, including Janice Kostelic, Bodie Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Alberto Tomba , Anja Paerson, etc. Could it be that there is no need to raise funds with an item such as this or a misread of the email. Michael Milton won 4 Gold Medals at Salt Lake Paralympics and leads a life full of adventure but those starting out struggle to raise funds and I believe even this offering has the possibility to raise considerable funds. The cap was amongst 3 that I took around with me whilst working there as a Slipper on the race courses. As the Ladies autographed the caps I got a kiss for luck from all but Julia Mancuso, not sure who the luck was for as later in the first run she skied out of the course. Curiously enough whilst looking for Marlie Schilds to gather her autograph i came across a group of the Austrian Ladies racing there, i did not add them but Liz Goergl & Andrea Fischbacker are now National Heroines for their exploits in Vancouver.



Looking at the list of Autographs on the cap I see ten autographs from racers who won medals this time around, and the bulk of the rest of the autographs are Gold Medal winners in previous Winter Olympic Games. Question is if this cap does not go to the Aussies at this time whilst the Olympics are current how much will it raise when the Hoopla dies down and the Media are no longer competing for stories. Any with suggestions to resolve this matter please post a comment or email direct.




The sun is shining and the roads are clear of snow so I am closing to go cycling, a couple of hours of fresh air will help me decide which photos to post and perhaps there will be some comments by the time I return! Funny to be in Austria and see that the people who visit here generally have left home with snow on their roads to drive around here where it has all but disappeared.

Just come in to add extra layers after an hour in the windy weather which whilst sunny is brutally cold, yes a bit of a whimp at this time ! Kudos are due as whilst on a clear stretch of road i was passed by a combi van which was still signalling after it had passed me, www.ascherauhof.com is a local hotel who rely on visitors and obviously good behaviour on the roads deserves recognition.


Earlier posts contain reference to www.fatcyclist.com whose fundraiser closes monday evening and the reason for the early closure is now apparent as he announced the imminent marriage to the "Runner(Lisa) next week. Congrats to both and i hope their family enjoy more good fortune in the coming years.

www.wheelchairpride.com deserves a visit as it provides details of the Paralympic events and links for the TV coverage, they also offer an interesting insight into that way of living. Visit and enjoy the information that is offered.

OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

SHOWING PARALYMPIANS THAT WE CARE

This is an Open letter to all Olympians but particularly those currently competing at Vancouver Winter Games.

On March 12 the Paralympic Games open in Vancouver and like with you the hopes of their countries rest on their shoulders! During the past week I have seen some spectacular performances by the participants and followed most events by way of Eurosport and CNN on the TV and a variety of sites on the Internet. There is a lack of comment about the Paralympics everywhere, why this should be continues to amaze me!

Each of you compete in difficult and sometimes dangerous sports and at the back of your mind there is an awareness of the possibility of accident resulting in injury or even the end of your sport career. We all think “there but for the Grace of God” in many aspects of our life. Human nature is such that we dwell on the positives in life and overlook the negatives.

My challenge to you all is to Help raise the Profile of Paralympic Sport. Each day you talk to the Media, some of you Twitter and Blog and use other means to stay in contact with your fans. By going to the website for your National Paralympic Team you will be able to tell people about your Nationals who will be representing YOU at the Paralympic Games in March. There are some of you already working with “Disabled Athletes” at some level , you may be already giving equipment and support of some sort.

Now is the time whilst the Public is focused on the Olympic Games to remind them, your public of what is about to take place and how important to you their support of Your Countries Paralympic Athletes is to you. At Athens2004 and Torino 2006 I spoke with many Athletes from all over the world and asked them to select a Paralympic Athlete and talk to the Media about them thus giving them recognition and support. At the time all I spoke to agreed with the idea and told me they would follow the idea and encourage their colleagues to join in this project which I titled “Parrabuddy”.

HERE IS THE CHALLENGE, in the comments box enter your name , country , sport then ADD the name of a Country Paralympian and any details you care to mention about them or your connection. As before I would ask that you also talk to your fellow athletes and ask them also to add their comments, this only takes a short time but it will become visible to the public even if only through the Google Search Pages! If you look up “Parrabuddy” or “Skippydetour” you will see pages of references so I feel sure that any comment you make will find it’s way through the internet to your Public and others!

For me the most Emotive moment of the Opening Ceremony was Rick Hansen rolling in with the “Olympic Torch”, you will have treasured moments that you may care to share.

TO ALL ATHLETES , THANKYOU FOR YOUR PERFORMANCES AT VANCOUVER AND SAFE JOURNEY HOME WHERE I HOPE YOU RECEIVE A HEROES WELCOME !!

FEAST OR FAMINE

Today I waited in for the Larry King Live show as this week has been exceptionally informative in so many ways ! Tuesday was Michelle Obama and the Obesity issue which I have remarked on in the recent past. Wednesday we had Joe Biden together with John and Teresa Kerry on the show . I had the pleasure of meeting John Kerry at the Tour de France Time Trial in St Ettienne when he was on the way to join up with Eddie Merckx at the “Discovery Team Training Area.. The previous year in that area I was introduced by Lance to Robin Williams who invited me to San Diego to work with his foundation, sadly no sponsor came forward to cover the expenses.



Larry King was the victim of a heart attack 23 years ago and during his program it came out that Teresa is currently fighting Cancer, also mentioned was John’s fight with Prostate Cancer at the start of his bid to be President in competition with Bush’s reelection. Both at that time were in contact with Lance and wearing the “Livestrong Wristband”, and much was made of George Bush using the mountain bike . Kerry appeared on TV to be an easy going type and this was how he was whilst I introduced him to several people. I did try to get Chris Horner who was in the compound at the time to walk across but as he was preparing for his ride this did not work. Funnily enough John Kerry was talking to Andy Rhys who is now the BMC boss but at that time owner of the Phonak Team. I won’t repeat the story of the Euskatel and Kerry meeting here but it was quite entertaining.

Bill Clinton was the subject of today’s “LKL” due to his overnight operation and during the commercial break I turned to German Eurosport where they were attempting to show the third effort to run the “America’s Cup”. When living in Perth, W.A. in the early 70’s I was into sailing as a past time as members of the “team” that hung out at “Gobbles” night club owned by John Golding were into sailing in a big way. Several of these rogues used to slip the leash of a Friday night and then on Saturday I would get to crew on some amazing yachts, I was never good enough for the first crew who were Profis but there was occasionally a place to make up the numbers in some of the competition craft.



Alan Bond would occasionally make an appearance on board and like the owners of this year’s competitors would take the helm, so it was not surprising when watching the TV to see him on board as “Australia” crossed the finish line to win the “America’s Cup”. since then I have sen reports of get togethers with Alan flying in from England. No doubt he is in Spain at this time renewing acquaintances with some of the “players” from that historic event. I had the chance to meet John Bertrand and some of the Australia crew many times in the Yanchep Sun City area over the years but only met Dennis Connors on the occasion of the Cup being passed over in Perth to be taken back to the USA. I had arrived in Perth by chance with a friend and whilst she was elsewhere I went with George Pascott to the Lunch time ceremony where I remarked to Dennis that the “Old Mug” was “only on loan as it would be returning Down Under at the next contest” ,it did but went to the New Zealand Syndicate.



The fascinating racing today on Eurosport TV seems like a walk over for Oracle’s design but I think I prefer the older style yachts without all the “legal shenanigans”. Cannot imagine having to crawl from one section of the Yacht to another because of the angles that these yachts use when flying. Hate to think what will happen when a section of these huge craft suffers a defect and I am very curious about the Oracle helmsman’s backpack, doesn’t look like a harness support point and certainly not his lunch pack with water sack. Oracle has won today’s event but not being German literate have missed the finer points of the commentary. Congratulations are due to the Americans with their 8 1/2m win, tactics and winds will affect the future races but I hope that we see closer results as these races will compete with the Olympics for attention in the next weeks.

The alarm is set for 2am gmt to enjoy the “opening ceremony” of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and when I return from ski touring tomorrow I hope to see the “Downhill race with an Aussie doing well. Looking at the team list has shown that Dale and Torah are in play for medals once more, there are other possibilities there also. I was at the “Celebration party” in Samsung house at “Torino” for Alisa Camplin and it was a pleasure to see that she was just as happy with the bronze as she had been with the prior Gold Medal from Salt Lake.


On one occasion I was in Deutscher House at Athens 2004 watching the swimming presentation ceremony on TV. Sitting having a smorgasbord lunch at the same table were the parents of the Bronze medal winner. They were delighted that I was Australian and shared a few memories of their daughters exploits leading up to the Olympics. They had not expected their daughter to win a podium place and so had not gone to the pool, there was more I am sure as even being in the final would have had most parents poolside. The Bronze medalist Anne Poleska stood up on the podium with some enthusiasm and general crowd approval, then the Silver Medalist arrived on the podium with a scowl on her face, I am sure that there was huge disappointment for that young lady in not winning but that was not the place to show bad feeling . I was quite surprised by this exhibition and apologised to the Poleskas who also had expected that the gold would go to Australia .Apologies for the lack of Anne's photo given to me that day by her parents

IT IS NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE, IT IS HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME !!

Go AUSSIES grab the medals but continue to make us humble folk Proud!!

Before closing I would like to remind all that I have been fortunate with my sports activities , never a winner but enjoying socialising with some of the notables in every sport I have practised.

Blogging is new for me AND I would like you all to ask others to visit this site because there are others out there who like me would like to help “Disabled/Physically Challenged/Paralympic Athletes” enjoy some of the events we take for granted.



Today I was reading www.fatcyclist.com and of course added a few links to the comments section because he had a “motorised wheelchair/scooter” looking for a new home. In weeks past I have mentioned www.physiciansforpeace.org who are in need of all the “prosthetics and other items used by “Disabled/limbless People” that they can find. Any gathering of people that raises funds for Cancer should consider helping by having a facility to pass on “Donations”. What use are Crutches, walking sticks etc in your cupboard when gathered they can be passed to people in urgent need.

Skippy’s fan club at www.fatcyclist.com are not impressed with my suggestions but I will continue to find ways to help others. “Fatty’s following provided a sum in excess of $136k in december to Livestrong and in January Lance forwarded $250k to the Haitian Appeal. Had I the resources Lance has I am sure there would be more that I could do other than remind people of opportunities to help.



As I grew up I read newspapers with “Charles Atlas” ads , you know the “Glamorous, Handsome Hulk kicking sand in the face of the scrawny weakling, I sometimes feel that my efforts are worthless but I will keep putting the shoulder to the cart and inch it forward little by little.

HOW LUCKY WE ARE

How lucky most of us are is emphasized by those who have disability, we get out of bed every day to go to work or play without impediments. Nearly 15% of the population has a disability of a physical or mental nature and by contrast have to solve many issues that we would not even be aware of let alone think of each day. Many of these people started life as we did but through illness or accident have had to build a new life and learn new skill sets to cope and adjust to their new circumstances

Physically injured who have lost limbs are over a period of time in need of a variety of adjustments to the Prosthetics that they were initially fitted with and even have to have replacements fitted through the passage of time. Many sports people have had injury and have had to use crutches and support bandages, effectively for a period of time being themselves disabled. Some illnesses cause healthy human beings to desist from sport and their normal activities. One wonders how many reflect on this and think “there but for the grace of god”?


I raise these subjects because over the years I have had success in avoiding injury and illness but have been aware of the misfortune of others. Recently I have been the victim of “pulmonary embolisms” which has been restrictive as regards the high level of fitness I used to aspire to. Nearly 6 months on I am building the fitness level once again cautiously as I want to be continually fully effective when the spring arrives and the roads are clear.

Watching Larry King Live today I was reminded of the needs in Haiti, prosthetics! Heather Mills demonstrated the item she uses and reminded of the fact that she like others has had replacements throughout the history since her accident. Several websites were mentioned

www.physiciansforpeace.org -- www.heathermills.org .


Some of you will know of Physically Challenged/Disabled people who will have their support groups some of whom will already be aware of the need for these used items but there will be others that will happily donate if this is brought to their attention. Media in various locations can help get the message out to the community at large.

Recently I went onto a Blog and some of those there let me know they were not interested so now I join their “sandpit” let the “Charles Atlases” in their group kick sand in my face but persist in bringing to those other humanitarians there the subject I want to add to their attention. Those denigrating my efforts I now call my “fan club”, I also visit fatty to enjoy a little light relief so I can also see their point of view.

@adventurecorps is running a bike ride soon to raise monies for Haiti and George Hincapie together with Helens cycles.com is running an event this coming weekend! Please feel free to let me know of others as this will be tweeted as will the link. British TV reported a seven year old looking to raise £500 by riding 5miles on his bike, I have not yet found the website but as of today CNN report $200,000 + raised by his efforts! Can you imagine how this story has snowballed into the success it has become? Remind you of anyone, Susan Boyle perhaps?

WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO I HOPE IT SUCCEEDS